Tool for use in splicing and dead-ending electrical conductors



Jan. 17. 1956 R. BELLlNl ET AL 2,731,291

TOOL FOR USE IN SPLICING AND D -ENDING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 13. 1950 INVENTORS Roserzr Baum WILLIAM H. KIBBH-Z ATTORNEY Jan. 17. 1956 R BELLINI ETAL 2,731,291

TOOL FOR USE IN SPLICING AND DEAD-ENDING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS Filed Nov. 15, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 6.

WILLIAM H KIBBIE 3O A Tree/v2) TOOL FOR USE IN sPLIclNG AND DEAD-EN ING ELECTRICAL CGNDUCTORS Robert Bellini, Twin Falls, and William H. Kibbie,

Jerome,- ldaho Application November 13, 1950, Serial No. 195,404 1 Claim. Cl. 294-19) Our invention relatestoa tool for use in splicing and dead-ending electrical conductors.

A primary object of the invent-ion is to provide a" tool for-use with conventional automatic wiresplicing sleeves and dead-ending couplings; to permit the splicingand dead-ending of energized electrical conductors ina highly eldcient and safe manner, and with a minimum of labor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool of the above-mentioned character which is highly simplified, rugged and durable, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout same,

Figure l is a plan view of a tool embodying our invention,

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the tool,

Figure 4 is a central vertical longitudinal section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1, part in elevation,

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the tool in use for splicing electrical conductors,

Figure 6 is a similar view of the tool as it is being removed after the splicing operation is completed,

Figure 7 is a plan view of the tool in use for deadending an electrical conductor,

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the same, and,

Figure 9 is a plan view of an automatic dead-ending coupling removed.

in the drawings, where for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral 12 designates generally our tool for splicing and dead-ending energized electrical conductors. The tool 12 has a diagonal or inclined shank 13, screw-threaded at its lower end 14 for engagement in a screw-threaded opening 15, formed in one end of a conventional linemans hot stick or handle 16. The hot stick 16 may be of any desired length, and is of course formed of electrical insulating material. A lock nut 17 is provided upon the screw-threaded shank 14 for securely locking the tool 12 to the hot stick.

The tool 12 further comprises a normally horizontally positioned cylindrical sleeve or body portion 18, formed integral with the shank 13 and extending forwardly of the shank, as shown. The sleeve 18 is provided with a conically tapered bore 19, extending throughout its entire length and having its larger end forwardly directed, as shown. The sleeve 18 is provided in its top with a central longitudinal slot 20, extending throughout the entire length of the sleeve and becoming gradually narrower toward the rear end of the sleeve 18.

Formed upon the sleeve 18 at its rear end, and preferably integral therewith, is a pair of laterally spaced opposed upstanding extensions or fingers 21. The fingers 21 are arranged at right angles to the sleeve 18 and are straight. The fingers form between them a vertical passage 22, leading from the rear end of the longitudinal slot20.

In Figure 5, we have shown the use of our tool 12 for splicing energized electrical conductors 23 and 24. One tapered end of a conventional automatic splicing sleeve 25" is first inserted into the forward end of the conical bore 19. The sleeve 25 is firmly forced into the conical bore, and will remain held therein by friction; The sleeve 25' projects longitudinally forwardly of the. tool 12 as showmand the tool is elevated by the hot stick 16 until the splicing sleeve 25 is positioned longitudinally bel-ween the free ends of the conductors 23 and 24' to be spliced. With. the use of conventional pulling equip ment, not shown, the conductors 23 and 24 are now drawn into the opposite ends ofthe splicing sleeve 25. If the conductor 24 should happen to be unsteady, the same may be guided downwardly through the space between the lingers 2'1, until the conductor 24 is disposed within the rear end of the tapered time 19, and adjacent to the rear end of the splicing sleeve 25. Conversely, when the reel iselevated with the splicing sleeve 2a in it, to the position shownin Figure 5, the conductor 24 may he engaged within the passage or space between the fingers 25, to guide the same into proper alignment with the rear end of the bore 19. The open rear end of the conical bore 19 permits the passage of the conductor 24 into the adjacent end of the splicing sleeve 25. After the conductors 23 and 24 have made their maximum penetration into the sleeve 25, they are automatically locked therein by the well-known spring actuated gripping means within the automatic splicing sleeve 25. The conductors 23 and 2a are now spliced, and the tool 12 is shifted longitudinally rearwardly so that the splicing sleeve 25 may pass from the tapered bore 19. The tool 12 is now shifted downwardly, and the conductor 24 passes through the slot 2% and vertical passage 22 to permit the removal of the tool, as shown in Figure 6. The slot 20 is slightly wider than the conductor 24 to permit the disengagement of the sleeve 13 from the conductor, but much narrower than the splicing sleeve 25, so that such sleeve cannot be disengaged from the tool except by the longitudinal movement of the tool.

In Figures 7 and 3, we have shown the use of the tool 12 for dead-ending an energized electrical conductor 26, as when stringing new wires on hot cut-overs, replacing defective dead-end insulators, changing poles or the like. The numeral 27 designates a cross arm of a pole having an eye bolt 28 rigidly secured thereto, and pivotally connected with an electrical insulator 29. The insulator 29 is in turn pivotally connected with a U-shaped coupling 30 by a pin 31 or the like, and this coupling 30 carries an automatic dead-ending sleeve 32, rigidly secured thereto. The sleeve 32 is of conventional construction, and contains the same spring actuated automatic locking means as the splicing sleeve 25.

The tool 12 is elevated, and the upstanding lingers 21 are inserted in the forward end of the U-shaped coupling 30, as shown. The free end of the coupling 30, carrying the sleeve 32, now rests upon and is supported by the body portion or sleeve 13, which extends forwardly of the extensions 21, as shown in Figure 8. The tool 12 is shifted forwardly so that the coupling 30, and insulator 29 are extended and there is no slack in the pivotal connections in the insulator 29. The tool is positioned so that the sleeve 32 has its bore in alignment with the con ductor 26, and the pulling mechanism, not shown, now forces the conductor 26 into the sleeve 32, where it is automatically locked in place. The tool 12 is now merely lowered so that the fingers 21 pass out of the U-shaped coupling 30. In this manner, the dead-ending of the conductor 26 is accomplished with safety and with no unnecessary sagging of the wire.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in shape, size'and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

A tool for use in splicing and dead-ending electrical conductors comprising an elongated holding sleeve to be arranged generally horizontally in use, the sleeve having a bore extending through the forward and rear ends of the sleeve, said bore tapering toward the rear end of the holding sleeve, the holding sleeve having a longitudinal slot formed in its top and extending through the forward and rear'ends of the sleeve and opening into said bore, the width of the slot being less than the diameter of the bore and sufficiently wide for the passage of the electrical conductor during the splicing operation, the tapered bore receiving a tapered splicing sleeve which cannot pass through the longitudinal slot and frictionally holding the splicing sleeve, the bore of the splicing sleeve then being in alignment with the tapered bore for receiving the ends of the conductors being spliced, a pair of spaced substantially vertical fingers carried by the rear end of the holding sleeve and substantially perpendicular thereto and disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal slot and extending above the holding sleeve, the fingers defining a vertical passage leading to the longitudinal slot and rear end of the tapered bore, the vertical passage serving to guide one conductor into proper alignment with the adjacent end of said splicing sleeve, the substantially vertical fingers being insertable into a U-shaped dead-end coupling for forcing the same forwardly while the coupling engages upon said holding sleeve and is held substantially horizontally thereby, a shank carried by the holding sleeve and arranged at an inclined angle thereto, and an insulating handle secured to the shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

